The Big 3 have indelibly marked the history of men’s tennis. In addition to having demonstrated an extraordinary longevity, the three sacred monsters have literally rewritten the book of records. Rafael Nadal currently leads the all-time Grand Slam standings at 22, having won the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year.
Novak Djokovic presses him at 21, after having triumphed at Wimbledon for the seventh time in his career. The 35-year-old from Belgrade has equaled his idol Pete Sampras and raised a season that risked taking on the contours of failure.
Roger Federer, for his part, is still stuck at 20 Majors and is unlikely to be able to increase his showcase. The Swiss phenomenon has had to deal with a serious right knee injury in the last two seasons and now seems to be on the avenue of sunset.
The recent successes of Nadal and Djokovic have inevitably rekindled the discussion about the greatest ever. Interviewed by ESPN a few days ago, Diego Schwartzman did not hesitate to crown Federer as the GOAT.
Schwartzman praises King Roger
Asked by ESPN about the famous debate of the GOAT (greatest player of all time), Diego Schwartzman felt that the Grand Slam tournaments could not be the main argument.
A claimed fan of Roger Federer, the Argentinian therefore chose the Swiss in particular for his behavior off the court. “For me, it’s not just about Grand Slam titles. I watch a lot of things, including off the court.
Roger is the player who generates the most enthusiasm among the fans. He is nice to everyone, you can hear him speak in Spanish, Italian or French. He has four children, but he trains every day. In the morning he hits with you on the tennis court and in the afternoon he dresses up for an event downtown.
It is flawless everywhere! The others are great at almost everything too, but I find he has a bit more charisma.” During an exclusive interview with Essentially Sports, the tennis Hall of Famer opened up about the rise of young talent in tennis while talking about Djokovic and Nadal’s chances at the US Open this year.
He said, “It’s going to be interesting to see the US Open because at the moment, Djokovic cannot play and it’s going to be, is going to be interesting to see if Nadal is going to be fit enough and strong enough to play in well-heated from the stomach injury as well…”
